Kawhi Leonard Turned Back The Clock And Put On An Epic Performance As The Clippers Punch Back And Steal Game 2

Garrett Ellwood. Getty Images.

The Nuggets and the Clippers have played two games in their first round series, and so far we're 2 for 2 in absolute thrillers. I know it's been said a billion times, and at this point it may be cliche to say, but give us 5 more of these please. Easily one of, if not the best first round series so far, we as fans deserve this thing to go the distance. The games have been too good.

The beauty of NBA Playoff basketball is how an entire series can change in an instant. Coming off the OT thriller in Game 1, the Nuggets had all the confidence in the world. They avoided disaster, survived the Russell Westbrook rollercoaster, and were in a position to really put the pressure on the Clippers by taking a 2-0 series lead. 

But now? Think of how small the margin for error has been in this entire series. Tonight, it was the Clippers making all the plays late, and now they own homecourt as they head back to LA. You don't think that arena is going to be fired up for the first ever playoff game? The Wall is going to be a force. You could make the case that a few plays go their way in Game 1 and the Clippers would own a 2-0 series lead, that's how close these games have been and how evenly matched this series is.

What has now been made crystal clear is that 2019 Kawhi Leonard has time-traveled to 2025. I know vintage Playoff Kawhi when I see it, and this my friends, is vintage Playoff Kawhi

What an absolute machine in every sense of the word. Kawhi started 12-13 from the floor and when he gets into that zone, there is no answer. He does what he wants. We saw him backpack multiple teams to titles playing this way, and it's what makes a healthy Kawhi such an X-factor in any playoff series. When he's locked in, there's nothing you can do other than pray he misses, and the problem is the fact that he almost never misses. He has an aimbot. 

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Threes, pull ups, midrange turnarounds, it's all in Kawhi's arsenal. And not just in the sense that he'll be able to make those shots every once in a while. Try every time he takes any type of shot. There are only a handful of players in the NBA that can reach this level, and if you're telling me the Clippers are going to be able to have this version of Kawhi for a playoff run, I don't know how that doesn't change how you view their playoff ceiling. 

The Nuggets also have one of those guys in Nikola Jokic, but as impressive as his triple double was, his 7 TOs were brutal.

Add in 4 missed FTs, and that's not exactly what you're looking for from the best player and MVP hopeful. That's just way too many turnovers. And give the Nuggets credit, every time Kawhi or Norm Powell threw a punch, they responded. Russ made some 3s when the Clippers dared him to shoot, Jokic made plays, MPJ and Murray had big threes, but that's the thing about playoff basketball. Sometimes it all comes down to a single play. When it came time to execute, the Clippers made the plays, just like the Nuggets did in Game 1.

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It's just really hard to win a playoff game with 8 missed FTs as a team to go along with 20 turnovers. Eventually, that's going to bite you in the ass. Those are easy things to clean up for Game 3, and why nobody should think this series is anything close to over. Every game may as well be a coin flip, and I can't think of a better way to settle a playoff series.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what year we're even in anymore. Kawhi Leonard is healthy and dominating playoff games, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are making huge clutch plays at the end of playoff games, Steph Curry is doing Steph Curry shit, what is even happening right now? I thought we were in 2025, but there's no way that can be the case.